11 Christmas traditions from around the world

Christmas celebrations vary from country to country. We have done some research and found a handful of different ways it is celebrated all over the world.

Some things may seem a little bizarre compared to how things are done in the U.K. However, some of them are great. We love the first idea – it’s definitely something that will keep the kids quietly creating this holiday.

1. In America they thread popcorn and cranberries to make festive garlands and tree decorations.

(source allfreekidscrafts.com)

2. Oysters are a Christmas delicatessen in France – roughly half of all the oysters in France are consumed between Christmas and New Year.

(update scarletwords.com)

3. A typical German Christmas involves making tree decorations from a white dough called ‘das Christbaumgebäck’.

(source taste.co.au)

4. In Spain it is not Santa that delivers gifts to the children, it is the Three Wise Men.

(source k99.com)

5. The children in the Netherlands leave hay and carrots in their shoes before bedtime and in the night Sinterklaas fills them with spiced biscuits, marzipan and chocolate letters.

(source momotop.co.uk)

6. In Australia because it is so hot friends and families often meet up for a barbecue on the beach.

(source australiaarentcar.com)

7. La Tombola is a form of bingo and is a traditional Christmas pastime in Italy.

(source swide.com)

8. Weirdly, thanks to a marketing campaign called ‘Kentucky for Christmas!’ in 1974, eating KFC for Christmas dinner is an annual tradition in Japan.

(source blog.gaijinpot.com)

9. In Norway they hide their brooms on Christmas Eve so that witches and evil spirits don’t use them to fly around the town and cause chaos.

(source mrctv.org)

10. Instead of using tinsel and baubles Ukraine decorate their Christmas trees with artificial spiders webs.

(amazon blogs.hope.edu)

11. In England we eat Christmas pudding after our turkey dinner.

(source goodtoknow.co.uk)

We would love to hear about any Christmas traditions we have missed. Why not pop over to our Facebook page? You could even be in with a chance to win a £50 Love2shop voucher.